MarkMaddy Prompts
by ebi pers
Summary: Yep, I'm officially in the business of prompts now! Goody! Send me your one-word or one-phrase prompts and I'll write a Mark/Maddy story of them. Rated "T" for safety, not sure how crazy this may get...REVIEW...please.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First prompt so far! This one is a little longer than I was going to write but the topic was just so powerful. Anyway, this one comes from MexiFBI, who recommended I do something on Maddy's Palmyra Plasia relapsing. If you guys saw the psychiatric evaluations of Elisabeth and Jim, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, go look it up on YouTube. It will make more sense to you then. I wrote a story about Mark being in a coma a while ago. This is a nice companion to it, I think, even if it is a chapter of the prompts. Please don't hesitate to send me more, by the way. Little one-word or one-phrase prompts for me to turn into oneshots. Oneshots are my hobby now! (But fear not, I'm still going to update everything else too!) Please review, and don't forget to prompt me! One-word prompts are my favorite! **

Mark wasn't sure what was happening, only that it wasn't good. One minute, he and Maddy had been sitting out in one of the rows of trees in the orchards, talking, laughing, and spending time, and the next she was erupting into a coughing fit.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned, his hand rubbing her back up and down.

"Yeah…" she gasped, still coughing. "Just…something in my throat…" her face was turning red with the violent fit. And then suddenly she grabbed his wrist and he heard an alarming wheeze in her breath just before she lurched forward.

"Maddy!" he cried, catching her limp form in his arms and laying her in his lap. Her breaths came in labored gasps and he noticed drops of blood trickling from her lips. "Oh God," he murmured, fear striking him. He wasn't a trained medic, but he did know that things were bad when people started coughing up blood. Gathering Maddy up in his arms, he made a frantic dash for the rover, laying her across the backseat and flooring it, every so often glancing back to ensure that she was still breathing. The rover ground to a halt just outside the clinic and he carried her in quickly.

"Dr. Shannon!" he practically shouted, eyes wide. He noticed the woman bandaging a patient, but she looked up when she heard her name called. A short gasp escaped her lips as she took in the sight of the young soldier carrying her very pale daughter, who was unconscious and barely breathing any longer. Handing the bandaging job over to one of the nurses, she quickly hurried over.

"What happened?" she asked, voice urgent but still somewhat calm.

"I…I don't know!" Mark exclaimed, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. "We were in the orchards and she started coughing and then she just passed out…"

"Oh dear God, please don't let it be…"

"Be what?" Mark asked urgently as two nurses brought a gurney over to wheel Maddy in. He laid her down carefully.

Dr. Shannon didn't answer his question, instead turning heel and following the stretcher quickly, her shoes echoing across the floor of the clinic. "Bring up a bio-scan," she commanded the nurse, who complied. The woman began to enlarge images on the holographic screen. "Can you zoom in on her lungs, nurse?" A moment later, an enlarged image of Maddy's lungs popped up. Mark could definitely tell something was wrong—they were discolored, flecked with dark spots.

"Crap!" Dr. Shannon cried, the first time Mark had ever heard her use language that was even remotely foul. "It is!"

"What is that, Doctor?" Nurse Ogawa questioned, eyeing the image with a perplexed look.

"It's PP," Dr. Shannon explained.

"In Terra Nova?" the nurse was shocked.

"Unfortunately."

"But…we left that behind in 2149. The contaminants…"

"I don't know, Nurse Ogawa! But this isn't the first time Maddy's had PP. I'm going to sedate her, prepare a double-dose of the antibiotic in the meantime. Her heart rate's dropping."

Mark couldn't contain himself any longer and stepped forward, approaching Maddy's bedside, looking at his barely-living girlfriend. "Dr. Shannon, what's wrong with Maddy?"

Dr. Shannon glanced at him for a moment as she leaned across the table, injecting a clear fluid straight into Maddy's bloodstream. The machines soon indicated that her body systems were slowing down, that the sedative had worked. "Have you ever heard of Palmyra Plasia?" she queried.

Mark shook his head no.

"It's a bacteria found quite commonly in the air pollution of 2149. It attacks your lungs, makes it impossible to breathe," she turned to the nurse, taking a syringe from her hand and injecting it into Maddy's other arm. "Put her on the respirator now. The antibiotic needs time to set in." The nurse nodded and immediately put a mask over Maddy's face. It was sickeningly similar to the re-breathers both she and Mark had left behind in the future.

"But…there's hardly any pollution here in Terra Nova," Mark said, confused.

"I know, but Maddy must have somehow come into contact with the bacteria again. She had it about three months before we got recruited. Once you've caught PP, you're highly susceptible to getting it again," she informed the soldier as she brought up Maddy's bio-scan again, working efficiently as she explained. "It could have been brought in with our personal effects—the bacteria have been known to inhabit dust as well."

"Is she going to be okay?" Mark asked the only question that mattered to him at the moment.

Dr. Shannon eyed her daughter closely, and Mark saw her face falter for a moment, like her detached façade was cracking. He knew that she was a trauma surgeon, and that she was able to immediately detach herself from her work as a defense mechanism, but seeing your own family in such a state had to take a toll, even if she wouldn't immediately allow it to show through. "I…I don't know." Her lightly accented voice was almost meek, vulnerable-sounding. "The antibiotics need time to start working. In the meantime she's totally dependent on the respirator."

Mark stood by Maddy's bedside, gently stroking her hand with his. "You said she had it before?" His brows were creased with worry.

Dr. Shannon nodded sadly. "Her re-breather wasn't filtering properly. She came home from school and she just collapsed, coughing up blood…" The woman shuddered at the haunting memory of standing by her daughter's bedside every day, watching a machine breathe for her. She had felt so powerless then—Chicago's best trauma surgeon couldn't even protect her own family members. She felt the same now: weak, powerless, vulnerable. "The bacteria were attacking her lungs and they had to put her on a respirator for a few days…she just couldn't breathe on her own." The family had moved to the Lakeview section of Chicago despite the high rent because they had heard it was one of the few places left in the city that wasn't overrun with smog and pollution. The fact that Maddy had become infected was a primary reason that the Shannons had moved to Terra Nova. Nowhere was safe anymore.

Dr. Shannon joined Mark by the bedside, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She can hear you, you know? She's sedated in order to quell the coughing fits but she's still semi-conscious. Try talking to her—it's been known to improve patients' condition when people they love talk to them."

Mark nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. Dr. Shannon had just told him that he was someone Maddy loved. It wasn't too much of a revelation for him—she had said it to him before—and he knew he loved her too, but hearing it come so easily from her mother was definitely something new. Dr. Shannon turned to leave, but he stopped her. "Dr. Shannon?" The woman turned. "How long until she won't have to be sedated anymore?"

Dr. Shannon shrugged helplessly and he saw the desperation in her eyes. "Hopefully, the antibiotics will start working soon and we can fully reawaken her. The monitor will keep close watch on her condition." It was the best she could do. She wasn't the type to make promises she couldn't keep, so she didn't give a definite timeframe. Mark nodded, understanding. "I…I have patients to check on…" the doctor excused herself, suddenly looking very tired and stressed.

Mark returned his attention to Maddy, who looked so peaceful lying on the bio bed. If it weren't for the respirator and the constant beeping, or the pale color on her face, he could've sworn she was just taking a nap. But he couldn't ignore his surroundings, nor could he ignore the hologram that gave a clear image of her lungs, presently under attack. As much as he hated to admit it, Maddy Shannon was fighting for her life, and there was nothing he could do about it. He suddenly understood exactly how Dr. Shannon felt. He had promised to protect her, and now she was being harmed by the one thing he couldn't defend her from. He drew in a ragged breath as he drew her limp hand into his. Thankfully, it was still warm, still living.

"Maddy…" he started, but his voice trailed off. What could he say? I'm sorry that your body is being assaulted by bacteria that could possibly kill you, but I'm here if you want to talk about it? Mark liked to think he was prepared for nearly anything—and the truth is, he was—but he had never in a million years seen this coming. He always imagined Maddy would be the one talking to his comatose form—in fact she had done just that when he was ambushed by Sixers OTG. But he had never envisioned her on the bio-bed, struggling to survive, having a respirator breathe for her.

"Maddy, if you can hear me…" he finally found his voice. He noticed her eyelids move ever so slightly, and he remembered Dr. Shannon's words. She was still semi-conscious. She could still hear him, even if she couldn't respond. "If you can hear me, I'm right here for you. And I'm not going anywhere until you're better." Somehow, her inability to respond made him even more determined. Had she been awake, she would have been yelling at him, demanding that he stop worrying, go home, and come back once she was feeling fine again. But she couldn't say that, so he was determined to stay.

He moved his hand from her hand to her forehead—the only part of her face not obstructed from the large respirator. He brushed strands of dark hair from her face and felt tightness in his chest that he was not accustomed to feeling. "God, Maddy, why didn't you tell me about this before?" The only response was the beeping of the machine, so he resolved to listen to her response in his head—what he knew she would say if she could.

_Because if I told you, you'd constantly be fussing over me and worrying. Besides, I didn't think Palmyra Plasia would follow me here…_

All valid points, he conceded, but it wasn't like he wouldn't worry about her anyway. He was a worrier, much the same way she was a rambler. He shook his head, feeling foolish at having an entire conversation with Maddy in his head. He sighed, looking down at her still form, let his hand linger a little longer, then collapsed into a chair beside her, grasping his head in his hands. He decided that this seat would be his post for however long it took her to get strong enough to breathe on her own.

Mr. Shannon dropped by later that same morning. They had exchanged a few words but both just stared at Maddy for the most part, hoping something would happen. The machines continued their chorus of steady beeps. Dr. Shannon was in and out, constantly checking charts and diagrams and monitoring her daughter's lungs closely. She seemed to be confident and detached, but if Mark watched her closely enough, he could see times when she let her emotions slip, sighing exhaustedly or blinking back tears.

Josh brought Zoe in during the afternoon, glancing at Mark, who still sat watching. They exchanged a nod of understanding, but remained reflectively silent. Zoe rested her small hand in her sister's, eyes wide and expectant, as if she were waiting for Maddy to wake up immediately. But again there wasn't any sign that Maddy was coming to. There was little change in her lungs' appearance on the screen, although Mark did notice that her chest didn't rise and fall as harshly when the respirator pumped air into her. It was more even, which he assumed was a good sign.

Skye brought a basket from her and her housemates—Mark had lost track of how many teenagers were living there, but he approximated about four—and left it by Maddy's bedside. She offered him an encouraging smile as she left. No one in the clinic seemed terribly bothered by Mark's presence. He was largely quiet and he kept out of the way of the medical staff. Word was spreading about Maddy's sudden illness, and he chalked it up to the fact that this was the first case of Palmyra Plasia in Terra Nova. Visitors went in and out frequently on the first day.

Commander Taylor showed up in the early evening, bringing along Reilly and Dunham. Taylor spoke quietly with Dr. Shannon, glancing at Maddy every so often. When the conversation ended, he gave one last look at the eldest Shannon girl, then looked to Mark with a sympathetic look. Mark moved to get up, but the Commander shook his head, indicating the soldier should sit back down. Then the three left. What unnerved Mark the most about all the visitors was their silence. It was almost like a wake—quiet, solemn expressions and occasional nods of sympathy. The only other time he had seen something like this was at his mother's funeral, and he was understandably quite upset during that time. He just wished someone would say _something_. But no one wanted to shatter the stifling silence, so Mark just sat like a sentinel—Maddy's sentinel—and waited until she woke up so that he could have a conversation—a _real _conversation—with her.

He ended up sleeping in the chair that night, simply too exhausted to stay awake any longer. Twice Dr. Shannon tried to convince him to go home, but unlike with Maddy, she had no real authority over him, so she just let him stay and hoped it gave him peace of mind. She smiled inwardly watching the boy sitting at her daughter's bedside, looking so much like a worried husband. Jim did the exact same thing after all three of their children being born—he slept in the chair by the bedside and kept her company. Maddy would be thrilled to know Mark did the same for her.

On the second morning, the black flecks on Maddy's lungs had receded slightly, but Dr. Shannon sadly informed him that she was still not strong enough to be taken off the respirator. Mark took heart in noticing how Maddy's breaths came slower, steadier, more calm. Hopefully she wouldn't be sedated much longer. He spent the rest of the day without moving much from his seat. He occasionally read from the science textbook he had downloaded to his Plex. He had been reading up on Maddy's favorite subjects so that he would have some passing knowledge on what she liked to talk about. But he couldn't focus very long. The constant worrying was maddening.

He spent another sleepless night by her side in the clinic; the steady beeping of her lifeline became his lullaby. He awoke at just past six in the morning, glancing at Maddy, who was still silent. The heavy noises of the respirator and the forced rise and fall of her chest were the only indication of life. And the monitors that displayed her vitals. Her sedative was regulated by a drip device, and the ultimate effect of all of this equipment was that Mark could barely see her. This bothered him almost as much as the oppressive silence, which hadn't lifted. Even the medical personnel who came in and out throughout the day were largely silent.

It was nearly noon on day three that Mark's world nearly ended. He noticed that something seemed oddly silent about the space. Suddenly, the monitors started beeping like crazy, alerting the staff that something was amiss. Dr. Shannon came rushing in with Nurse Ogawa on her heels.

"She's flat-lining!" Dr. Shannon exclaimed frantically, and Mark's blood ran cold. He knew the terminology. If someone flat-lined, that meant their heart had stopped or that they were no longer breathing. If Maddy was flat-lining, she was running out of time.

"You'll have to leave," Nurse Ogawa told Mark urgently, and he understood. Only authorized medical staff were allowed to be there. Dr. Shannon pulled the curtain shut and began barking out orders. The beeping didn't stop and Mark watched the silhouettes moving about the bio-bed, his mouth dry and his heart beating rapidly.

Dr. Shannon's triumphant cry relieved him several moments later. "That's got it!" The beeping slowly died down, returned to its normal, steady rate. The encouraging sound of the respirator working again reached his ears. Dr. Shannon herself emerged several moments later, visibly shaken and heaving a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" he asked, hurrying over to her, anxious to know what had gone wrong.

"The respirator cut out unexpectedly—we took a power hit," the woman informed him. "Thank God the other machines kicked back in or else…" her voice trailed off, but the implied meaning was not lost on the soldier. Maddy had just brushed with death, and the doctor had just confirmed it was by the grace of God that she was even still alive.

"Can I…?" he pointed at the room, unable to find the words to speak given his current state of shock.

"They're still running a few diagnostics, it could take some time. Why don't you go home and refresh yourself in the meantime, Mark, you've been here for nearly three whole days." Dr. Shannon patted his arm lightly, offering him an encouraging smile. He nodded, still trying to calm his frantically beating heart.

He did what Dr. Shannon suggested, taking a hot shower to calm his nerves and relax all the tension that had built up in his muscles over the past three days. He felt re-energized afterwards, and he approached the clinic with renewed spirits. He would spend another night at the clinic before any good news was delivered.

"Good news," the doctor told him on the morning of the fifth day. "The bacteria is almost completely gone from her lungs and she's begun to breathe on her own now. We're taking her off the sedative—she'll be awake soon." The doctor smiled at Mark's overjoyed reaction to the words. He looked hopefully at Maddy. The color had been slowly returning to her face, and it was almost back to the caramel tone he found so attractive. The respirator was absent now. The marks on her face left by the mask were the only indication it had ever been there in the first place.

"I have other patients to tend to," Dr. Shannon said. "Could you keep an eye on her for me?"

Mark was all too happy to accept, and the mother smiled to herself at his eagerness. "Thank you," she said sincerely, exiting the room to go check on the other people who had found their way into the clinic for various reasons.

Mark stared at Maddy for nearly half an hour before she stirred. Excitedly, like a child on Christmas, he rushed to her side, kneeling so that he was at eye-level with her. He'd been waiting for this moment for five whole days. Her eyelids fluttered open and he saw those amazingly deep, brown eyes for the first time in nearly a week. He swallowed, forcing all the emotion down. She seemed a little dazed but a smile touched her lips when she recognized him. He felt his own lips tweak into his signature sideways smile, too. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered, as if she had only been asleep for an evening.

Slowly, she tried to sit up, but realized she was hooked up to various monitors and quickly lay back down, memories snapping into focus. "Mark, what happened?" she asked, looking alarmed.

He quickly put his hand on her arm, gently rubbing it to calm her. Her breathing began to return to normal, a fact he noted with much relief. "Relax, Maddy. You're fine now," he reassured her.

"What happened to me?" she asked, her brown eyes turning watery as she realized she was in the hospital. After her first bout with Palmyra Plasia, Maddy had become very afraid of being hospitalized. There was something about the situation that made her feel powerless, and she got enough of that in school. Being hospitalized meant you were trapped, and Maddy didn't like that feeling much either.

"You had something called palimyra plasma," Mark said, trying to pronounce the complicated name of the bacteria.

"Palmyra Plasia?" she corrected, her features suddenly taking on an even more alarmed look.

"Yeah, that. But don't worry—you're fine now! You collapsed and I brought you here. They had you sedated for a while…"

"I remember…" she said, vaguely. "How long was I sedated?"

"Five days," he said quietly, looking up at her.

She breathed in deeply, taking in the new information. "Five days?" she repeated. He nodded ruefully. "Was I on the respirator?" He nodded again and she sighed. "This isn't the first time I've had Palmyra Plasia."

"I know," Mark told her. "Your mom told me."

"But how did I get it again?" she wondered aloud, her scientific curiosity taking over.

Mark shrugged. "Beats me. Your mom suggested you might have been exposed to dust that carried the bacteria."

Maddy nodded, remembering something. "I was handling some old samples from 2149. That might have done it…"

He chuckled, trying to alleviate the somewhat dark atmosphere. "Commander Taylor is probably going to quarantine your belongings now…"

She grimaced. "Oh no, if he does that I won't be able to do any homework or research or…"

"What ever will you do with yourself?" he teased, kissing her forehead like he had been longing to do for so long.

She grabbed his hand. "I can think of a few things…"

The curtain pulled back and Dr. Shannon stepped in, looking bright. "I thought I heard voices. I see you're awake!"

"Hi Mom," Maddy greeted quietly, still getting accustomed to everything.

"Mark, could you be a dear and give us a minute? I need to run some more diagnostics now that Maddy's fully conscious again."

Mark nodded respectfully, offered Maddy one last relieved smile, and then vanished from the room.

"Glad to see you're awake," Dr. Shannon spoke quietly to her daughter. "We were very worried about you. Especially Mark."

Maddy nodded, seeming a little surprised. "I heard him talking to me every so often—how often was he here?"

Elisabeth laughed a little. "How often? Dear, he never left your side!"

**A/N: Seemed a good place to end. Sorry for how long this was. It started out much shorter but I kept adding to it and adding to it. Anyway, thanks so much to MexiFBI95 for sending me the prompt that inspired this! This is just the first of many, hopefully, and hopefully the stories won't be so long after this! Please send me prompts in the reviews or in a PM and I'll write to them. One-word or single-phrases. Or if you want to challenge me, give me a quote for someone to say in a story and I'll try to build something around that! I'm feeling uninspired as of late, so this will hopefully get the creative juices flowing once more! Thanks, and don't forget to review this first entry! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, it's taken a while but I hope y'all are still with me. This is a whole bunch of ficlets suggested by beloved reader Inkblood, who has quickly become a favorite of my dormouse. Mostly because she says hello to him a lot. He says hi back, of course, but since he's a dormouse it's more of a "squeak, squeak." Anyway, getting off topic. Inky dropped me a whole bunch of inspiring words: singing, dancing, French, movie-night (it counts as a word because I hyphenated it ;) and babies. So I'm writing a whole bunch of ficlets for it. Thanks to all the peeps who submitted prompts. I'm working on those too, I promise. Please keep 'em coming because I will try to publish every prompt I receive. I love you all. I'll love you more if you review! **

**PS—thinking of giving my dormouse a name…any suggestions? Leave 'em in the reviews OR check out my Twitter (at EbiPers) and weigh in over there! **

**PPS: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: Jason O'Mara announced via Twitter yesterday, and Jose Molina and Naomi Scott confirmed it-the deal with Netflix to renew Terra Nova has fallen through :( Netflix announced it could not reach an agreement with 20th Century Fox and the show may never see a second season. Jason O'Mara and Allison Miller have been signed to other film projects, as has Naomi Scott. Dean Geyer is making a bid to play Finnick Odair in the next Hunger Games movie, leaving the series cast broken up. There's still hope-other groups were also in talks to renew the series, but it's looking less and less likely. I'm very sad, but I promise I'll keep Terra Nova alive on this site with updates. Now, on to something less depressing: the actual stories!**

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><p><strong>Ficlet 1—<strong>

**Prompt: Singing**

**Summary: What's more romantic than a moonlight serenade? **

Five weeks. He had taken five weeks of guitar lessons from Josh all for this one moment. He tapped on the window of the room he knew she would be in—probably reading. She always read before going to sleep. She said it helped her relax. He paused briefly. What if she had gone out? What if she was at the lab? Or maybe she was out in the field? She went there sometimes if she was having trouble sleeping…

He didn't have to wait long to be put slightly at ease though, because he was soon greeted by flowing, dark locks hanging out of the window as she ducked her head to lean out. She peered at him for a moment, clearly surprised that he was there, and he faltered. He faltered for a brief moment and it was more than just a little awkward because it was just brown eyes meeting blue and neither one saying a word. So he did what he had been rehearsing over and over in his head. He pulled the guitar into a playing position, gently putting his fingers into the positions, and he began to strum a few, soft chords.

A smile—the most genuine smile he had ever seen on her—lit up her face as she gently rested her chin in her hand, listening to the soft melody. Nervously, afraid of screwing this whole thing up, he opened his mouth and he started to sing.

_It's late in the evening. She's wondering what clothes to wear. She puts on her makeup and brushes her long, brown hair. And then she asks me 'do I look alright?' And I say yes, you look wonderful tonight…_

When he finally stopped, cheeks heated, probably bright red, he set the guitar down.

"That was beautiful," she finally managed to pronounce. "That song…it was wonderful!"

He shrugged modestly. "Josh taught me to play it. Said it was a classic and that you'd like it."

"I do," she practically swooned. "Why didn't you tell me you could sing before?"

"Sorry," he apologized, approaching the window as she leaned out and then fell into his arms.

"I'll forgive you," she started, "on one condition."

"Anything," he replied quickly.

"You have to sing for me again!"

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><p><strong>Ficlet 2—<strong>

**Prompt: Dancing**

**Summary: Maddy wants to teach Mark how to dance…the waltz…**

When she told him she wanted to teach him to dance, he didn't have _this _style of dancing in mind. He didn't expect her to know hip hop or anything, but this…this was a very old style of dance, a lost art. And he didn't feel terribly comfortable trying to dance it. He wasn't a good dancer, never was, never pretended to be. But she really wanted to show him, so he humored her. And silently prayed none of the guys from his unit would walk by at that exact moment.

"Just hold on to the back of my shoulder like this," she positioned his hand carefully. "And keep your back straight. Keep your feet a shoulder's width apart," she looked down to make sure he was following her instructions. "And then you're going to step out with the left and rotate to the right…"

He did his best to hold onto her, keep his back straight, and remember everything she was telling him. And after several hours worth of practicing he was pretty sure he got the hang of it. At least somewhat. They were moving with much more grace now, gliding across the floor of her family's porch. He lost track of where he was, just focusing on his footwork and on holding her closer to him. Her dark hair twirled with the wind.

"Look at Reynolds!" the amused cry sort of killed the moment. "He's…_dancing_!" Mark turned red as he faced Jenkins, who was jeering to Curran and Reilly. Curran tried to stifle a smirk and Reilly looked genuinely surprised.

"Hey!" Maddy suddenly raised her voice, a knowing smile crossing her lips. "Viennese Waltz is one of the most romantic styles of dance there is. Girls go _crazy _for a guy who can dance." She turned, placed a hand firmly on Mark's chest, and planted a heated kiss to his lips in front of all three soldiers to demonstrate what she meant.

He didn't look, but he was sure Jenkins' eyes were bulging from his head at this point. And just before the kiss took over all active parts of his brain, he thought that maybe, _just _maybe, he could get used to this dancing thing more often.

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><p><strong>Ficlet 3—<strong>

**Prompt: French**

**Summary: French is the language of love. Of course Maddy would speak it. (I apologize to anyone who was expecting this to pertain to kissing…) **

French is the language of love. Of course Maddy would speak it. She was fluent in Spanish, German, Italian and Mandarin Chinese, and she could hold a conversation in Arabic and Hindi too, but Mark didn't really care about those languages. French was the language of love. At least according to Skye. So he decided he should learn it. Maybe it would offer new ways for him to communicate his love for Maddy, and he knew that Commander Taylor was fluent. It took a lot of nerve to ask his CO to teach him French, but Taylor seemed pleasantly surprised by the request.

French was no easy language to master, especially not for Mark who had grown up speaking English and English alone. French words were hard to pronounce and more than once the Commander went into laughing fits at Mark's horrendous accent. But at the end of the day, he learned what he wanted to learn.

He waited until they were alone to try the well-rehearsed lines. It made him nervous as _hell_ because he was pretty sure she would laugh hysterically at him, but he had to try. He was running out of ways to say 'I love you' in English.

"Maddy," he called her attention away from the blooms in the orchards. She looked at him with an inquisitive expression. "I…I wanted to say something to you…" he averted his eyes, fully aware of her curious, brown-eyed gaze. He scratched the back of his neck. "Je…je vous aimerai jusqu'a la fin des temps et au-dela…" he fumbled his way through the phrase. Commander Taylor had taught it to him, albeit with large amounts of snickering in between.

Maddy gasped. "I'll love you 'til the end of time and beyond," she translated. A dumbstruck grin spread over her face as she threw her arms around him. "Oh, Mark!"

Her reaction brought a smile to his face too, and he returned the embrace. Now, he needed to find a good Mandarin Chinese tutor...

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><p><strong>Ficlet 4—<strong>

**Prompt: Movie Night**

**Summary: Nothing beats a good ol'-fashioned film on a lazy Saturday evening. **

Summertime is Maddy's favorite season. Summertime means warm weather, sunshine, and daylight until eight o'clock. Daylight at any time used to be a remarkable thing for Maddy, and coming to Terra Nova hadn't changed her sense of wonder for the little things. Most of all, summertime means more time with Mark because the soldiers work reduced shifts during the warm seasons to prevent too many cases of heatstroke and the like. Granted, Mark no longer got days off except for Sundays, but she'd take extended hours with him spread out across the week over seeing him every other day. She worked it out on a spreadsheet and she actually got more time with him under this arrangement.

Summer nights are Maddy's favorites. The crickets chirp loudly during the summer nights and the sky is crystal clear. Every star is visible and the air is warm, still, and humid so that her hair starts to curl. Mark says he prefers her hair like that, so she doesn't bother with straightening it.

This particular summer night, the two of them are on the back porch. Her mother replaced the windows with mesh screens at the beginning of May to keep insects (freakishly large ones, too!) out and let the enjoyable warmth in. She's clad in the pair of short shorts that make her dad cringe every time she goes out in them and she's leaning against Mark's side, a single Plex between them playing a movie.

Movie nights are an ancient tradition, or at least according to all of the books she's read. In 2149, cinemas are expensive, televisions more so. Aside from the public screens that constantly play the latest news, only the wealthy have these luxuries. But that didn't stop Maddy from downloading old films to her Plex. This particular one she had to coax Mark into watching, but the combination of a sinking ship, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and a tragic love story made _Titanic _absolutely irresistible for her hopelessly romantic heart.

They reach the climax of the film, with Celine Dion's _My Heart Will Go On _softly playing and Maddy's bawling softly, turning her face into Mark's side, her tears flowing freely and darkening the material of his shirt. She's seen this movie three times before and this scene never fails to get to her. Even Mark looks affected by it. And Maddy knows, she just knows, that if they had been on board that fateful voyage, Mark would have done the exact same thing for her. She's grateful, though, that she doesn't have to worry about that. Because she's got him right beside her, and she's literally crying on his shoulder, and even though she's sad at what's happening in the film, she's just as glad that she's got the best film-companion ever, holding her gently in the summer night.

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><p><strong>Ficlet 5—<strong>

**Prompt: Babies (well this one ought to be fun…)**

**Summary: Mark and Maddy visit the Terra Nova daycare…**

Maddy leaves home early that morning. She's always an early riser—she always had to be in order to beat Josh into the shower and have some hope of warm water—so it's no big deal for her to get up. But she never leaves home that early. Today is an exception. Mark has been posted at the daycare today. It's a really easy job compared to perimeter patrol but it can also be tiring, trying to keep track of the little ones. Taylor figured having a soldier nearby would give them a good example to follow, and now Mark's stuck trying to be a good example to these rowdy kids. Maddy promised to join him, so she heads there now to keep him company. She adores children anyway.

He greets her warmly, folds her into a tight hug, then escorts her into the nursery school with an arm around her shoulder. The children look up, initially paying the two no mind until a few of the boys spot Mark's sonic rifle. Then all bets are off and they're soon swarming him, peppering him with questions about life in the security forces. At the very least, Taylor will have two dozen willing candidates in another fifteen years…

Mark laughs, tries to answer the questions to the best of his abilities. Maddy spots a young girl struggling to balance several oddly-shaped blocks and construct a tower. She approaches, offers the child some advice, and soon the little girl has a massive and stable structure erected on the nursery school rug. After that, a good number of kids flock to her as well, and she does her best to help each of them build whatever their hearts desire.

When the teachers summon the young ones for snacks, they abandon their playthings and their guests and head for the tables, giving the two teenagers some time alone.

"You're great with kids," Mark notes, sitting in a comically undersized nursery school chair. Maddy sits in one beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"You aren't so bad yourself."

"What do you think our kids will look like?" he asks her after a reflective pause, observing the children. "I mean, you're the DNA expert here."

"Your eyes," she answers quickly, evidently having considered this question before herself. "Your eyes and my skin tone. At least one boy and one girl."

Mark smiles at how matter-of-factly she makes the statement. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks, Inky! I hope you liked the ficlets, all of you! The song lyrics from the first ficlet are taken from _Wonderful Tonight _by Eric Clapton. I love Clapton. Anyway, _Titanic _was a suggestion of one of my friends as 'romantic, classic movie that everyone should see.' I confess I've never watched it myself but, having the mother that I have, I know the basics but I didn't touch on it too much, for fear I would get something wrong. The French used in ficlet three is straight off Google translate. I apologize if it is grammatically incorrect but Maddy's translation is essentially accurate. I hope. Anyway, please review. It'll make me, my dormouse (who still needs a name) and I'm sure Inky very happy. Thank you all and don't forget to prompt me! More updates will come soon, I promise :) **

**Also: Interesting tidbit about myself—the Mandarin Chinese thing is a hidden reference that some of you may get. I speak the language and would gladly tutor Mark in it if it meant more happy Maddy moments (and more fodder for writing). Just saying. Anyhow, that's not relevant. Just thought I'd share. Review. Prompt. Follow me on Twitter. That's all. Ebi has left the building. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hooray! Prompts are spilling in, this is AWESOME! Okay, so this one comes from LunaMexi117 and MexiFBI95, who suggested Maddy save Mark. I love this idea and Luna had actually discussed it with me before, so I've seized the opportunity to write this in as a prompt. Big thanks to Luna and Mexi! Also, Inkblood suggested a few dormouse names for my little secretary and he has decided that he shall henceforth be known as Alejandro C. Dormouse. The C stands for Cheddar. He sends his warmest thanks to Inkblood for providing him with a suitable name. Okay, so now let's get to it. Read and review! And send me more prompts so that I can keep writing these! **

Two days. It had been two whole days since Mark was due back from a routine outpost check. The rovers had come in, as had the motorcycle outriders that had led the group. But for some reason Mark's motorcycle, which had been bringing up the rear, never showed up. Maddy had gone into hysterics quite quickly, but she had been reassured that he was probably just separated, that he knew his way back, and that he would only be delayed by a few hours at most. Hours ticked into days and there was still no sign of him.

Maddy lay awake at night, staring at nothing in particular and wishing for him to suddenly burst through the doors and scoop her up in his arms and apologize profusely for not coming home sooner. Of course, no such thing occurred, and the not-knowing was driving her crazy.

It was the night of day two when she overheard something she suspected she wasn't supposed to hear. Her parents were chatting in hushed whispers in the living room, just beyond hers and Zoe's bedroom. The voices were hushed and urgent and she had to strain to hear properly, but she knew they were talking about _him _so she eavesdropped anyway.

"Really?" her mother's voice drifted from the living room. "They were so bold as to contact Taylor and make demands?"

"They've got him, Elisabeth. They're holding one of his best soldiers hostage."

Maddy fought to keep her emotions in check. On one hand, she was relieved. After two days there was talk that he had possibly died out there. But on the other hand, things were still very bleak. Whoever 'they' were, they had her boyfriend and they were trying to leverage him against Commander Taylor.

"What is Taylor going to do?" her mother asked, a tone of worry in her voice.

"What can he do, Elisabeth? Reynolds is a loyal soldier—Taylor can't just leave him to die."

"Absolutely not," Elisabeth concurred, "but what is his plan? Is he just going to give in to their demands?"

"I don't know," Jim whispered tersely. "But whatever he plans to do, he's going to have to do it quick. If my hostage crisis training is anything to go by, Reynolds doesn't have much time left."

Maddy stopped listening after that. Her eyes were glassy and her vision blurred. She had been preparing herself, albeit uneasily, for the idea that she may never see Mark again, but hearing he was alive and being used as a bargaining chip? And then having to face the fact that she still may never see him again? The thought was unbearable.

The next morning, Maddy did something she had only done one other time before—burst into the Command Center. Mark had been with her that time, and she had watched Taylor hold a knife to his throat. This time, Mark was in peril again, only he wasn't anywhere nearby her.

Taylor looked up, startled but not entirely surprised by her presence. She looked around hesitantly for a moment, feeling the eyes of all the soldiers. "Can I help you, Miss Shannon?" Taylor asked, almost like an invitation.

Maddy swallowed. "I…" her voice cut out and she cleared her throat. "I want to know what's happening to Mark," she said clearly.

"Well I'm sure you do," Taylor regarded her with his head tilted to one side. He was sitting on the end of his desk. Maddy glanced about, seeing her father, Reilly, Dunham, and Curran among the many faces all looking on. She felt very self-conscious but she had come all this way. She wasn't leaving until she got what she wanted. "But I'm sorry," Taylor continued. "There isn't very much I can tell you. There isn't very much I know."

"With all due respect, sir," Maddy started, trying to sound as polite as possible before basically accusing him of lying outright, "I overheard my parents discussing what was going on last night." Jim straightened up a little bit at this, folding his arms and looking at his daughter with a slightly worried frown.

"I'm Mark's girlfriend, Commander," Maddy continued, as if he didn't already know. "I feel…"she trailed off momentarily. "I feel like I have a right to know."

Taylor looked at her with a mixture of wonder and impression, then shot a sideways glance at her father. "Alright," he conceded, nodding his head for emphasis. "I see your point and I respect it. I suppose that, as one of Corporal Reynolds' loved ones, you do have a right to know. But the question is: do you really want to know?" His blue eyes regarded her closely and she felt as if he were trying to read her mind.

Maddy nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Yes," she said. "I do want to know."

"Corporal Reynolds has been captured," Taylor finally told her. It was hardly a revelation for her. "By the Phoenix Group." Maddy's heart froze. That was something she didn't know. Although if she thought about it enough, she would have probably reached this conclusion on her own too. Who else could have captured him?

Taylor paused, let it digest, then moved on. "And they're demanding quite a lot from us in order to get him back."

Maddy's heart sank. From the way the Commander was speaking, it seemed like he wasn't going to give in to the demands. And that meant Mark was in very grave danger.

"But," he started anew, "Corporal Reynolds is one of my finest men, and he does have valuable information…" he added the last bit to make his reasoning seem more justified, "so we do intend to launch a rescue party to retrieve him."

Maddy's heart rate increased, her eyes shining with fresh hope. "How long until you launch the rescue party?" she questioned eagerly.

"We're waiting on a convoy to return from OTG so we can double the number of soldiers. It shouldn't be more than forty-eight hours."

Maddy's heart sank again, remembering what her dad had told her once about a hostage situation. _If their demands aren't met within twenty-four hours, the hostage's chance of survival drops considerably, and it'll just keep dropping with each hour past…_

"Commander!" she burst out, unable to stop herself, "we can't wait that long! Mark probably doesn't have that long!"

Taylor looked a little surprised at her outburst. Jim stepped forward, placing a firm hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Maddy, I think it's time for you to go." Maddy nodded, blinking tears from her eyes as she silently left the command center.

* * *

><p>It was midnight. Most normal people were asleep, but not Maddy Shannon. She sat up in bed, glancing quickly to her left to ensure Zoe was still sound asleep. She was. Stealthily, she crept from her bed, fully dressed in outdoor clothing that would afford her maximum mobility. She had slipped it on after bidding her parents good night. Quietly, she slid the door open, peering through the crevice to ensure that her parents had gone to bed. Satisfied that no one was awake, she slipped out, shutting the door again.<p>

Maddy froze when she heard Josh mumble something. He had left his bedroom door open to help relieve some of the heat. She peered in cautiously, finding him muttering in his sleep and in the process of rolling over. Breathing out a relieved sigh, she picked up the carefully-packed backpack she had casually left by the door. She had read enough action stories to know that she needed to be prepared for anything. That's why she also took her father's sonic gun from its hiding place in the front closet. She thanked God that Mark had taught her how to fire it. With a last look behind her and a deep breath to steel herself, Maddy opened the front door as quietly as she could and stepped out into the warm night. She took of in a run as soon as her feet left the porch.

The motor pool was dark at this time of night, but Maddy knew that there were still guards on duty. The slightest disturbance would awaken them, so she would have to be stealthy. If they woke up too soon, it would all be for naught. She easily scaled the small fence that kept the area gated in—more a formality than an actual defense against any serious threat. Once in, she looked around to get her bearings and spotted the object of her desire. A rhino.

There were three models of vehicles used in Terra Nova. One was a motorcycle, which Maddy quickly ruled out as an option due to its noisiness, inability to seat two people comfortably (and Mark could be injured) and the fact that she didn't know how to ride one. Option two was a standard issue rover, which would work fine except for the fact that it didn't have doors, which left her vulnerable. And if Mark was injured, then every meat-eating thing in the forest would be in hot pursuit. That left option three, the heavily-armored, high power rhinos. The rhino would have plenty of space in the back and it was very, _very _secure.

Setting her bag down in the passenger seat, Maddy set to work hot-wiring the vehicle. Mark had shown her how to do this, too, in case she should ever find herself in a situation where the only way to escape was in one of these vehicles. Crossing the two color-coded cables, she felt a rumble and a quiet hum as the batter-powered truck jumped to life, flooding the surrounding area with bright light. She had to go. _Now._

Swallowing her heart, she floored it. The large vehicle leapt forward as the startled guards frantically attempted to stop her. She felt the entire vehicle shake as it crashed through the fence. One obstacle cleared, one more to go—Terra Nova's main gate. Luckily, she knew every military-spec rover had a device that would signal to open the gate. With any luck, the people in the command center wouldn't know she had stolen the vehicle and would hopefully assume she was some soldier on an important mission. Fingers crossed, she pressed the button as the gate loomed into view.

Sure enough, the gate started rolling back before a voice crackled over the radio.

"Rhino 3-4, this is command. Please state your destination."

She ignored the device, aiming the truck straight for the open gate.

"3-4, this is command, what is your destination?" the voice was obviously concerned now, but Maddy pulled the radio out of its port. She didn't need distractions right now. The gate began to close as she approached it, but she managed to squeeze through, a loud _thunk _resounding through the cabin as the closing gateway slammed against the roof over the rear. Her head was pounding as she slowed the rhino to catch her breath.

If Mark's time was running out, she would make sure to bust him out before it did.

She had never been near the Badlands before, but she had a good idea where it was. And Mark had told her that the Phoenix Group was holed up in the region. By using the vehicle's onboard map, she was able to pinpoint the approximate location. She had read up on the region, too. There were a number of carnivorous creatures there that hunted by night and during the day there was scarcely any shelter from the brutal heat. She was sure Mark was in a sorry state at this point. It had been three days.

Maddy drove for most of the night, the pumping adrenaline keeping her alert and awake. Just before dawn, she reached a relatively high overlook. The Badlands were in a massive valley. This had to be the place. She brought the rhino to a halt and powered it off to avoid being detected. Grabbing her pack, she retrieved the sonic gun and a pair of binoculars that were meant for scientific research, not reconnaissance. Crouching low near the edge of the cliff, she looked out across the vast expanse, easily spotting the smoke and faint glow of fire. That had to be the camp. There was no other reason for a fire to exist all the way out there.

Picking her way carefully down the gorge, she found herself in a massive, dried-up riverbed. Her watch told her it was nearly five in the morning. The sun would be rising soon and she would lose the cover of darkness. She had to act fast.

It took her fifteen minutes to reach the point she had spotted via binocular and by then the sun's rosy fingers were starting to stretch their way over the horizon. The fire had nearly died out and the remnants of some animal that had been hunted were lying around it. She looked with disgust upon the group of unkempt soldiers who had fallen asleep at their posts. They were obviously drunk.

She found who she was looking for toward the back of the camp. He was tied to post, hands behind his back and in a kneeling position. She could see that they had beaten him more than once, even from afar. As she approached, the severity of his injuries became more apparent. Dried blood was visible at the corners of his mouth and his face was all different shades of blue, black, and purple. The certainly hadn't been gentle with him, that was certain. Pulling a switchblade from her back pocket, she cut the binds.

"Mark!" she whispered urgently, gingerly running her fingers over his swollen cheek. "Mark!"

He was barely responsive, but his eyes did flutter open and she saw very clearly the shade of blue she had been longing to see for three days. She was relieved that they were still as lively as ever despite what had been done to him. "Maddy?" he mumbled.

"Shhh!" She glanced around quickly to ensure no one had heard, then offered him a nod, forcing the tears from her eyes. There would be time to reflect once they were out of here.

"How…?"

"Not here!" she whispered, helping him to his feet. He seemed a lot lighter than before and it was obvious from his state that they hadn't fed him very much, if anything. He hissed in pain as he took a step and she could see through the torn camouflage pants that his leg was likely broken, if the coloration was any indication. She put his arm around her shoulder to provide him with support.

"Maddy…don't…" he began, pulling his arm away.

"Oh no you don't!" She held his arm firmly in place. "I didn't break all those rules to come break you out of here for nothing!" They hobbled along and she whispered silent prayers that the drunk guards wouldn't choose that particular moment to sober up.

"Too…heavy…for you…" he breathed, gasping softly each time his bum leg moved.

"No you aren't, stop worrying!" she huffed exasperatedly. Even in his condition, he was more worried for her than himself.

"We'll…never…make it…" he gritted out.

"Yes, we will," she assured him. They had made it out of the encampment without stirring the world's worst sentries. But it was still nearly a kilometer back to the rhino. And she hadn't considered the steep canyon walls. But right now it was vital to get away from the vicinity of the camp and buy themselves more time.

It was slow going and Mark wasn't entirely pleased that she was bearing the brunt of his weight on her petite frame. She was thankful that he was too dazed and dehydrated to protest more than nominally. She reached the clearing where she had left the truck, just visible over the rim of the cliff.

"We made it to the rhino," she breathed, helping him lean against the cliff walls and retrieving a canteen from her pack. She held it to his lips and let him drink until it was drained. He picked his head up a bit.

"How…how did you know where to find me?" he asked her with unmasked fascination.

"They wanted a ransom," she told him. "Commander Taylor was going to send a rescue party but we had to wait for two days and Dad said you didn't have much time left so I snuck out the come find you and since you said that the Phoenix Group was holed up in the Badlands I cross-referenced the approximate location of the valley with the nearest water source and then I hot-wired a rhino and drove out here…" she paused for a breath, fully prepared to launch back into her run-on sentence. She was cut off by Mark's smile, still radiant despite his obvious pain. "I just missed you so much," she said quietly.

"Sorry…" he offered simply, groaning a bit as he shifted his head to look at her.

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad that you're okay. Now wait here, I'm going to drive the rhino down here so you can get in…"

Mark shook his head. "The wall's too steep, Maddy. If you drive the truck down here you'll never make it back out."

She fell silent, thinking, but her train of thought was interrupted when a single sonic blast discharged above them, striking a nearby rock and sending it across the ravine. She looked up, straining her eyes to see in the semi-lightness. The sight that greeted her was shocking, to say the least.

"Going somewhere?"

_Lucas Taylor_.

"Not without your rover," he smiled, holding up the stripped battery pack from the vehicle before hurling it toward her. She sidestepped the object as it crashed to the ground, rupturing. Battery acids began to leak from it and she knew there was no way to salvage it. They were trapped.

Lucas stepped carefully down the ravine, clapping as he approached the pair. "I must say, I am very impressed that you made it this far. I figured my father would launch a rescue operation, but I wasn't expecting him to send a girl to do the job for him…" He shook his head as his hand moved to touch her and she recoiled instinctively.

"Don't touch her!" Mark croaked angrily, rising from his sitting position and concealing the pain it caused him to do so, evidently having noticed the gesture.

Lucas let out a cold, humorless laugh. "Who's going to make me? You? In the state you're in?"

Mark lunged, but the other man easily dodged him and he fell to the ground, gritting his teeth in pain. Lucas kicked the soldier hard, causing him to gasp involuntarily and lose consciousness. The man then looked to Maddy as the girl fingered the sonic rifle in her pack.

"If that's a weapon I'd advise you drop it now," he said, reading her mind. He pointed his gun to Mark's head to illustrate his intent. Maddy glared at him as she pulled the gun out of concealment and dropped it to the ground.

"There's a good girl," Lucas grinned. "Now get on your knees with your hands behind your head and if you're lucky, my father will be smart enough to pay the ransom now that I have two of you. Aren't you Shannon's daughter?" he questioned, though it was clear from his expression that he already knew the answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she managed to say, knowing full well that he would leverage her further if she confirmed it.

Lucas laughed. "Your dad trained you well, I see. But you look like your mother. You can deny it all you want, but you're valuable…"

"Your dad isn't going to give in to your demands, you know," she growled defiantly.

"That's fine. _Your _dad will," Lucas insisted. "And if he doesn't…" Maddy felt the cold metal press against her temple and shut her eyes, a tear making its way down her face before she could stop it. "Are you scared?" Lucas whispered. She could hear the feral smirk in his voice. "Are you scared to die?"

"Lucas!" the shout caused both people to look in the direction of the gorge and the figure of Commander Nathaniel Taylor stood, fully silhouetted in the rising sun. "Stand down!"

Mark groaned as he began to reawaken, slowly sitting up. Maddy abandoned caution, seizing the momentary distraction to rush to Mark's side, helping him to a sitting position.

Maddy could see Taylor making his way down the gorge, followed closely by her parents and a group of soldiers, weapons drawn. Lucas let out a peeved hiss as he got up and slinked off before the party could reach him.

"Are you okay?" Maddy whispered, cradling Mark's head. He nodded, but the grimace that followed spoke to the contrary. She pressed a ginger kiss to his cheek

"Maddy!" her mother exclaimed as she rushed over, hugging her daughter. "What on Earth were you thinking?" The words should have come out harsh but they were too flooded with motherly relief to be angry. Elisabeth turned to check on Mark without waiting on a reply, but Maddy knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. Taylor and her father were just approaching now.

"How's he looking, Dr. Shannon?" Taylor asked, looking at Mark and the doctor.

"Yeah, he should be fine in the long run," Elisabeth responded, twisting her neck to look at the commander. "His leg's been broken and he's severely malnourished, not to mention dehydrated, but Mark's sturdy. He'll pull through."

Maddy was relieved. Her mother wasn't the type to make a false promise. If she was sure Mark would be fine, then Mark would be fine. She felt Taylor's gaze shift from the injured soldier to her and suddenly she wanted to melt into the rocks.

"That took some nerve, Miss Shannon," Taylor spoke and she wasn't sure, but he sounded vaguely impressed with her feats. "And a lot of quick-thinking."

"How did you find us?" she asked without making eye contact.

"You forget that every vehicle comes equipped with a standard locator device. The rhino you 'borrowed' was reported missing almost immediately after you broke out of the colony. We were able to get a lock on your location and followed your trail."

"Maddy," her father spoke and she could hear a note of disapproval in his voice. "What you did was dangerous. You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I know…" she felt more tears welling up and did her best to hide them, keeping her eyes planted firmly on the ground. "But…I had to do something…we couldn't wait for two more days…" she looked to Mark, who was now being loaded onto a gurney out of earshot. "He wouldn't have made it." She finally worked up the courage to meet her father's eyes and was surprised at his expression. He didn't appear to be angry or disappointed. He looked…understanding and…proud?

The gravity of the situation didn't hit her until that moment. Between midnight and now she had been acting on pure adrenaline. She hadn't paused to consider how drastic her actions were. But now that it was all over, she realized how reckless she truly had been. But she also knew that Mark would have done all of that and more if she were ever captured or kidnapped. So she had to. She just had to.

"That was brave," her father finally spoke. "And it shows how much you really care about Reynolds."

Maddy nodded, feeling her throat tightening as she was finally overtaken with a wave of emotions ranging from shock to euphoria. She was numb as her dad helped her to her feet.

"I'm proud of you, sweetie. You did whatever you could to protect your loved ones." He kissed her forehead. "But you're still in trouble," he added quickly. She didn't expect anything different. She had snuck out of the house, stolen her father's gun, stolen a rover, and then snuck alone into enemy territory, thus endangering her life and the lives of others. It was on par with something Josh would do. Of course she was still in trouble.

"But," she wheeled around to face Commander Taylor as he spoke. "That was very impressive, Miss Shannon. Have you ever considered enlisting?"

Maddy paused, smiling a bit to herself before shaking her head. This was enough excitement to last for a long time to come. Slowly, she followed the group up the steep ridge walls to take her seat beside Mark's gurney in the rhino.

**A/N: Prompt three is complete! Big thanks to LunaMexi117 and MexiFBI95 for suggesting it to me, I had a lot of fun writing it. Again, this was longer than the average prompt but with so much material to write about it was impossible to cut it down any further. Hope you liked it. I've still got a few more prompts where these came from but after that I'll have none left so I am urging you to send me a premise, one line, or one word for me to write to. You can leave it in the review that I'm SURE you're going to leave me (nudge, nudge). No seriously, please review!**


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